to try and remember what we did after school before The Machines?

[Hullygully]

Mine (13 and 14) come in from school, turn on their lap tops, and chat on fb, catch up on Made in Chelsea (all right, that's fair enough), play games, surf YouTube, for hours. Or as many hours as I let them. They are usually in from school around five, and bed time is around ten. (Obviously some evenings they are out.)

What did we do before machines? What can I make them do?

[MrsPresley]

Homework

Then tea and washed the dishes.

Sometimes I went out to play or had friends round, read lots (was never into tv much) listened to records and taped off the radio.

Bedtime was 9pm right up till I left school at almost 16, then it was about 10.30 when I started work.

God, I sound really old, I'm only (almost) 48

[minimisschief]

well we used to run rampant outside. climb trees, terrorize people by booting footballs in their gardens. we made bases in the woods. water fights sports. used to do stupid dares. knock on peoples houses and run away. used to go into fields and piss around on hay bales.

All sorts of things

[LittleMissWoodscommaElle]

I mostly read and played outside with my friends. Problem is it doesn't feel safe to let ids play out nowadays.

I also played PacMan on the Atari.

Dd and ds are both bookworms so still read a lot in between the dreaded ds/PLaystation 2. dd also spends hours at dance/drama.

Wish I could get them to go outiside more. We recently got a puppy so sometimes I make them take him out inthe garden.

[aldiwhore]

I watched telly, had tea, had a bath, went to bed.

Sometimes I'd play out, sometimes I'd go to youth club and get drunk have some good clean Christian fun.

[redskyatnight]

Don't they have a fair bit of homework to do?

At that age I got in from school at 4.30, walked the dog, watched a bit of TV, ate dinner, did homework, maybe chatted to a friend on the phone and that was about it before bed time really. I don't think I ever went out on a school night ...

[OTheHugeRaveningWolef]

I grew cannabis on my bedroom windowsill, dried the leaves in the Aga and smoked them in my brother's friend's mum's garden shed while listening to pirate radio and talking rubbish.

[Hullygully]

No, not much homework. It just all seems a bit odd to me. Perhaps it is normal then? Just telly/computer, tea, etc?

[worraliberty]

We played out no matter what the weather.

In the street, over the park...anywhere and always on our bikes.

Oddly enough, I remember only 1 fat child in my entire Junior school (her parents ran the local sweet shop and she was very spoilt!) and about 3 fat children in my senior school that had at least 4 times the amount of pupils.

[worraliberty]

PMSL @ Wolef that really made me laugh

[Hullygully]

That's a bit more like mine Othe. I think that's why I'm struggling, I don't have a pattern to follow, makes me anxious.

[Hullygully]

Yes, we had one Fat Boy and one Fat Girl.

Pore them.

[squeakytoy]

At 8/9/10 I got home, watched tv until we had our tea, then 3 nights a week I had swimming club, one night was brownies/guides, and if it was summer, the nights I didnt have activities, I played out with my friends until dusk.

From 13, I got home, watched tv until tea, then went out with my friends until I had to be home. Every night.. unless I had babysitting to do.

By 15 I got home, had tea, went out to work until 11pm Monday to Friday in a local petrol station. (did my homework while I was there). (Employment law was a lot less rigid back in the 80's).

[worraliberty]

That's a point Squeaky I worked in the local Londis shop on the till from the age of 12yrs to 16yrs.

I worked from 5pm to 8pm most evenings and 10am to 1pm on Saturdays.

[tummytickler]

I was out every single evening, regardless of weather. I would come home from the bus, get changed and then go out to the park/farm/waterfall/wherever and muck aboutwith my friends. We also played rugby, football, tennis, cricket and swam in our neighbours swimming pools. We stole the fruit from peoples gardens, and sat outside the village pub eating Yorkies and drinking lime and soda.
I was very lucky and lived in the countryside though.
I would come home for supper and went to bed at about 10.
By the time I was 16, I was coming home, doing homework and getting out the door asap to meet my pals in the pub!

[scaryteacher]

brownies/guides, ballet, Venture scouts, choir practice, dance club, hockey, netball, athletics, youth club, homework, elastics, skipping, twoballs, going for a ride on your bike, homework, reading, weekly shop with Mum, TV (Blake's Seven, Angels etc), hanging out at friend's house.

[lisad123]

Played out a lot, we were allowed to watch blue Peter and neighbours, that was it!
Homework, help with dinner and wash up afterwards.
We have one day a week in our house when pc, tv and music are banned and we just spend time together as a family

[Whatmeworry]

Played outside with friends - but parents these days are more scared of the Paedo Hordes outside the front gate than those online so don't let their kids out - so onto the computers go the kids.

[KatieScarlett2833]

Watched Neighbours and Grange Hill, went out and snogged the local yoofs.

Happy days

[unpa1dcar3r]

Watched Blue Peter and Grange hill (Todd Carty was such a dish) danced to Wham (George Michael also a hottie til we knew he was gay anyway) and Boney M, hung out with mates in their houses (no one came to mine cos my mum was horrible), practiced doing our make up, hung out in the park trying to look cool with our big perms and blue mascara, and like we really weren't bothered about that boy we fancied who had acne (Ilford and Eastham!) on his face and whether or not he fancied us too...
We talked, as in face to face, not via internet. We walked everywhere and for miles and miles everyday. I did a paperbound to get some money and was up at 5am 7 days a week to do that, also worked saturday and holiday jobs (we all did) from age 13...(now much stricter with age limits but then you could blag your way into a job).
We were tough and had bundles of fun.
This was East End of London\Essex so hard area for a stranger to deal with but for us, it was magical.
Oooh I'm feeling all nostalgic now!!!

[southeastastra]

i played with machines back then. sinclair video game and hand held games and record player.

as teenagers we didn't go out climbing trees even in 1981

[usualsuspect]

At that age I went to my mates house most nights or they came to mine
or hung out smoking in the local park

[usualsuspect]

No we didn't climb trees as teenagers either SEA

In fact at 14 we used to play pool in the local pub

[piprabbit]

I watched TV sometimes. I can remember watching the test card if that was all that was on.

In the Winter, I would spend long periods of time balanced on my back on the living room rug, pedalling my legs in the air.
In the Summer, I would swing in the garden (seeing how far I could jump off) or squash in behind the shed and watch the sheep in the fields for long periods.

I did swimming, piano, ballet, Brownies/Guides and went round to mates to play. I can remember spending a lot of time setting up games of Mousetrap - only for it all to fall apart before we were finished.

I seemed to fall off my bike pretty regularly too.

[piprabbit]

Just reread and realised that I obviously have a very high boredom threshold.

[Hullygully]